Jacks hoopsters eye league breakthrough after transition year

Nov. 26—QUINCY — After three straight league titles, the Jacks moved up to the Central Washington Athletic Conference last season and finished 7-14. Despite moving to a higher level of competition, Head Coach Scott Bierlink said he loved how his players competed.

"The CWAC last year was loaded," Scott said. "But we were real competitive. Kept most games close, so I was actually happy with our performance last year."

The Jacks made an appearance in the 2A district tournament play in game against East Valley but fell short 79-58. However, with their first year back in the CWAC behind them, Scott is confident his players will be ready to compete in a league he believes won't be as top heavy.

"It's not going to be as strong as it was last year. Those top three or four teams, even five teams, all lose four or five of their top players. It's not going to be quite as top heavy as it was last year, so we're looking forward to this year," he said.

After graduating seven seniors last year, including two starters, the Jacks still return most of their starting lineup. One key player returning is Pierce Bierlink, who led the league in scoring with 27 points and 9 rebounds per game. He feels confident he will be able to build around him with other players like Jesus Carrillo, Erick Zepeda and Nash Bierlink.

"Our goal is always to win the league title, but I'd be happy if we can just be competitive and see if we continue to improve as the year goes on. We want to be playing our best ball in January and February and give ourselves a chance to win that league title," Scott said.

A lot of his players are multisport athletes, which Scott believes could play to their advantage. Players like Carrillo and Zepeda also play soccer and possess speed that can threaten defenses all season. Though they may not have the size advantage, Scott feels they will be able to lean into other strengths.

"I do feel that's an advantage for us this year. We do have some speed. We've got some quickness, and so we're going to try to utilize that the best we can," he said.

In addition to that, returning so many players brings more experience into this season, which Scott said will be beneficial in close games. He feels good about his players' basketball IQ and even the younger players on the roster have already shown him their potential to contribute.

All of these things will prove to be valuable resources for the Jacks when they come across tough opponents in the CWAC. The Jacks will also have to find who will be complimentary scorers to put around Pierce.

"The CWAC is just a tough league in general," Scott said.

Scott has coached Quincy for 20 years; this season will be his eighth as the head coach. As each new season rolls around, he said he's always full of excitement and optimism.

"I'm a Quincy guy. I kind of joke with people now. It's like, 'Man, if we're not very good, it's my own damn fault, because I got three kids on the team,'" he said.

The Jacks take the court for the first time on Dec. 2 at Sageview with tip off set for 7:30 p.m. Their first home game will be on Dec. 5 against La Salle at 7 p.m. As they navigate their last few days of preseason practice, the Jacks are focused on making their presence known in the CWAC.

"We're working the best we can to try to stay relevant and be able to compete. There's no excuse, we got to step up to the challenge, and we got to get it done somehow," Scott said.